No bail for Hampton Beach sledgehammer murder suspect

SEABROOK — The Hampton man who allegedly killed his roommate was indifferent about the prospect of returning to jail, according to an acquaintance who was often present in their apartment.

Nick B. Reid

SEABROOK — The Hampton man who allegedly killed his roommate was indifferent about the prospect of returning to jail, according to an acquaintance who was often present in their apartment.

Peter L. Bartoloni, 70, is accused of bludgeoning his roommate, Bob Roderick, 56, to death with a sledgehammer at their shared 19 M St. apartment, and was ordered to be held without bail at his arraignment Tuesday.

The pair had a third roommate, Scott Anderson, whose girlfriend, Nicole Belanger, said she had heard Bartoloni make threats in the past.

"He always told me he'd been in jail in the past ... and he didn't care. He says, 'You think I care about going back?'" she said.

She would blithely reply, "Yeah, whatever, you're drinking."

Belanger said Bartoloni and Roderick "had their arguments" whenever they would drink alcohol, but "for the most part, they did get along."

It was Belanger and Anderson who found Roderick lying dead on the couch Friday, beginning a "suspicious death" investigation that led to Bartoloni's arrest Monday on charges of second-degree murder alleging Bartoloni "knowingly" or "recklessly" caused Roderick's death by striking him repeatedly with a sledgehammer.

Bartoloni was convicted of rape in 1990 and assault with intent to commit rape in 1980, according to the Massachusetts sex offender registry. According to an Oct. 19, 1972, Associated Press article, Bartoloni was serving 11-20 years at Walpole state prison for "armed robbery, unlawful possession of a shotgun and escape from Plymouth (Mass.) Superior Court," when he allegedly stabbed another inmate.

Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley on Tuesday declined to comment on Bartoloni's criminal history. He said he argued for a no-bail hold because of the gravity of the charge, adding that in all the murder cases he has been involved with, he has sought no-bail holds. Hinckley also said it is common that the police affidavit describing the basis for a murder arrest is sealed from public view, as is the case here.

Bartoloni appeared with facial bruises via video at the Seabrook court. Hinckley said those injuries were sustained sometime before police began investigating the case.

Outside the Seabrook Circuit Court on Tuesday, friends of Roderick said he never really felt threatened by Bartoloni, despite their occasional disputes.

Maggie Gauron, who formerly roomed with Roderick in the same 19 M St. apartment, said she spent about six hours with Roderick on the day of his death, taking him to cash a check and going out to lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken. She said she would frequently give Roderick a ride in her car, because he was handicapped and had no use of the left side of his body.

She said Roderick met Bartoloni through a mutual acquaintance and opened the doors of his apartment when he learned that Bartoloni was looking for a place to stay. Belanger said Roderick "would give his last whatever he had for anybody. He was that type of man. He was unbelievable."

Belanger said that even if Roderick had felt threatened by Bartoloni, he likely wouldn't have called the police.

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